38 M.R.S. § 580-A Definitions

• Library: Maine Revised Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current through 131st (2023-2024) Legislature Chapter 486
• Year: 2023
• Citation: 38 M.R.S. § 580-A

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. [ 2007, c. 317, § 17 (NEW) .]

1.Allocation. "Allocation" means the number of carbon dioxide allowances to be credited to a carbon dioxide budget unit or to the general account of the sponsor of an approved carbon dioxide emissions offset project.

[ 2007, c. 317, § 17 (NEW) .]

1-A.Account. "Account" means a general account or a compliance account.

[ 2009, c. 200, § 3 (NEW) .]

2.Carbon dioxide allowance. "Carbon dioxide allowance" or "carbon dioxide emissions allowance" means a limited authorization by the department for the emission of up to one ton of carbon dioxide.

[ 2007, c. 317, § 17 (NEW) .]

3.Carbon dioxide budget unit. "Carbon dioxide budget unit" means any single fossil fuel fired unit that serves a generator with a nameplate capacity equal to or greater than 25 megawatts of electrical output.

[ 2007, c. 608, § 4 (AMD) .]

4.Carbon dioxide budget unit compliance account or compliance account. "Carbon dioxide budget unit compliance account" or "compliance account" means the account established by the department for a carbon dioxide budget unit wherein carbon dioxide emissions allowances and carbon dioxide offset allowances are held and available for compliance purposes under the carbon dioxide cap-and-trade program.

[ 2009, c. 200, § 4 (AMD) .]

5.Carbon dioxide emissions budget. "Carbon dioxide emissions budget" means the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions allowances allocated by the State on an annual basis.

[ 2007, c. 317, § 17 (NEW) .]

6. Carbon dioxide emissions offset project. "Carbon dioxide emissions offset project" means a project that reduces or avoids loading of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and is demonstrated to qualify as real, additional, verifiable, enforceable and permanent as those terms are defined in rules adopted by the department. "Carbon dioxide emissions offset project" includes, but is not limited to, landfill and agricultural methane capture and destruction, reduction in emissions of sulfur hexafluoride, sequestration of carbon due to [afforestation] forestry practices and reduction or avoidance of carbon dioxide emissions from natural gas, oil or propane end-use combustion due to end-use energy efficiency and other categories established by the department by rule.

6-A.Carbon dioxide general account or general account. "Carbon dioxide general account" or "general account" means the account established by the department upon the request of an entity wherein the entity may hold carbon dioxide allowances and carbon dioxide offset allowances. The general account is separate from the compliance account.